Two metro customers finally get help after Problem Solvers investigate unfinished work

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There's finally some good news for two families who were both victims of companies that took their money but never finished the work.

After their stories aired on FOX4 Problem Solvers, their lives took a turn for the better.

John and Jennifer Powell from Bonner Springs contacted Problem Solvers in March after a concrete contractor named Gene Cole Swain dug up their backyard and disappeared, taking their $15,000 with him. See the original report here.

Swain, who has a well-documented history of bad business practices, never responded to FOX4’s multiple attempts to contact him.

After the Powells’ story aired, FOX4 heard from three companies wanting to help the young family out of their home improvement nightmare.

Olshan Foundation Solutions offered to donate and install a trench drain for the back patio that the Powells had been trying to build. Overland Concrete Construction volunteered to do the flat work, and Geiger Ready Mix is donating the cement.

“It's really helpful, and I greatly appreciate it,” Powell said.

The family hopes to have their backyard finished by August, and Problem Solvers will be back to show you how it all turns out.

But wait: There’s more good news.

After Problem Solvers warned viewers about All Star TV Repair in Independence -- a shop accused of taking customers money and never doing the work -- one customer finally heard from the owner, James Reiken. See the original report here.

Elaisha Dodd, a mom of four who hadn’t seen or heard from Reiken in months despite repeated attempts to contact him, finally got a call the day after she shared her story on FOX4.

Reiken returned the $180 Dodd paid him. He also gave her back her still-broken TV.

We're happy for Dodd, but Problem Solvers won’t consider this a problem solved until Gentry Thomason, another unhappy All Star TV customer, gets his $462 back. How about it Mr. Reiken?